Garment hanger



Jan. 11, 1944'. J, J, CAVANAGH 2338,702

GARMENT HANGER Filed May 28, 1942 INVENTOR- fihn J Ca m/uyh BY fa/0%7-w- ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6Claims.

This invention relates to garment hangers and refers more particularlyto an improvement in hangers for trousers to serve as a means foreffectively supporting and suspending the trousers in an invertedposition from the bottom of the legs without rnussing or distorting thegarment or damaging or marring the fabric.

The invention broadly comprehends a hanger for trousers which is soconstructed and arranged as to set up clamping and stretching forces forsupporting the trousers which forces normally function jointly,buteither of which alone is sufficient to sustain the weight of thetrousers thereby providing a margin of safety which practicallyprecludes any possibility of accidental or unintentional release anddropping of the garment from the hanger. I

The invention also resides in the provision of an improved form of clipfor clamping the trousers and novel means for anchoring the clip to thehanger bar section.

As a further feature the invention embodies a resilient supporting meansfor the hanger bar which is associated with the sections thereof so asto normally effect extension of the same and to tension the same againstcontraction.

The invention further resides in the provision of a suspension hookformed integral with the resilient supporting means or secured theretoso as to prevent shifting of the same thereon.

With the above enumerated and other objects in view, the invention isset forth in greater detail in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a combined coat and trousers hangerconstructed in accordance with one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken approximately on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional View taken approximately onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a collective perspective view illustrating a portion of thehanger bar and one of the clips in separated juxtaposition.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the inventionillustrating a trousers hanger.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference and particularly tothe form of the invention illustrated in Fig. l, the garment hanger isdisclosed for supporting both a coat and a pair of trousers. In thisform of the invention, A designates generally a longitudinallyextensible and contractible hanger bar which is composed of a pair ofrigid strap sections and H, the inner end portions of which areoverlapped and 'arranged in side by side fiat contact with each other.

The inner terminals 12 of the sections 16 and H are offset laterally andslotted at [3 so that the inner end portion of each strap sectionextends through the slotted terminal of the other strap section forslidably associating the sections for relative longitudinal slidingmovement with reference to each other.

The outer end portion of each of the strap sections ill and I l whichprotrudes beyond-the offset slotted terminal 12 of the other section,carries a clip designated generally by the reference character B, andsaid clips are rigidly afiixed thereto for sliding movement with thestrap section by which they are carried. Asshow'n, each clip-con sistsof a split hollow cylindrical tube l5 and a pair of clamping jaws Iii,the upper reduced terminals ll of which protrude upwardly through slotsis formed in the tube and provide manipulating terminals adapted to bepressed together for opening the jaws against the tension of theresilient tube. The edges ll! of the split portion of the tube bearagainst the jaws Hi to normally move the lower extremities of the sameinto ongagement with each other and said edges l9 errgage Withintransverse grooves formed in the outer surfaces of the jaws to lock thejaws in assembled relation with the tube.

As illustrated, the outer end portions of the strap sections ill and l lare each formed with a notch 23 in the upper edge thereof, the inner endwall of which notch is formed with an undercut recess 2| providing anoverhanging lip 22, while the outer end wall 23 of the notch 20 isdisposed vertically. The opposite ends of each tube 15 are formed withaligned notches 24 and 25, and the spacing between the inner ends of thenotches 2d and 25 corresponds approximately to the length of the notch2t in the strap section between the end of the undercut recess and thevertical Wall 23.

In assembling the clip B with its hanger bar section It) or I I, thenotched inner end 26 of the tube [5 is engaged under the overhanging lip22 and within the undercut recess 2i so that the opposite sides of thenotch 2t engage the opposite side faces of the strap section and theoverhanging lip 22 extends beyond the inner end of the notch 24. Theopposite sides of the notch 25 fit on opposite sides of the strapsection adjacent the end wall 23 of the notch 2E and the upper portionof the end wall 23 is then peened over the notched end 25 of the tube 5to provide a retaining lip 26. This anchors the clip 33 to the strapsection for movement therewith as the sections are moved longitudinallyrelative to each other for extension and contraction of the hanger barA.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. l, the outer endportions of the strap sections I and I l are normally movedlongitudinally outward and tensioned against inward movement by means ofan upwardly bowed resilient coat supporting member designated generallyby the reference character C, and which member is constructed of alength of resilient wire formed to provide an intermediate upstandingcoil 2 8 having downwardly curved oppositely directed arms 29 formedwith inwardly and upwardly directed terminals 30, the laterally bentextremities 3| of which extend through apertures 32 in the outer ends ofthe strap sections In and II respectively. This resilient expansiblesupporting means C functions to extend the hanger bar A and to normallymove the clips away from each other so as to stretch the leg terminalsof a pair of trousers when the jaws iii of the clips B are engagedwithin the leg terminals adjacent the front and rear creases. It is thusapparent that the trousers are supported by both the frictional clampingaction of the jaws of the clips and the stretching force.

The intermediate upstanding coil 28 is preferably composed of threeconvolutions and the upper portion of the central convolution is ofi setupwardly as at 33 to receive therethrough a clevis 34 between theupstanding terminals of which the lower end of a suspension hook 35 isarranged and fulcrumed on a rivet 36 so that the suspension hook, whennot in use, may be swung downwardly to an out-of-the-way compactposition. By oifsetting the central convolution of the coil 2d, theemplacement of the clevis 34 is facilitated while the same is rigidlymaintained in a centralized position to prevent shifting thereof.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing, thehanger is designed solely for the purpose of hanging trousers and inthis instance the resilient expansible supporting means, designated bythe reference character D, is constructed of a single length ofresilient wire bent upon itself to provide a double strand suspensionhook li'i, an intermediate coil 4i and a pair of downwardly andoppositely directed arms 42, the hook terminals 43 of which are engagedthrough transverse openings 44 in the outer end portions of the strapsections as and 5.6 which are connected together for guided slidablemovement relative to each other by means of interengaging pin and slotconnections 41 and 48 to provide an extensible and contractible hangerbar E.

What is claimed is:

1. In a garment hanger, a hanger bar composed of a pair of rigid linearsections connected together for guided relative longitudinal movementwith reference to each other, a clip secured to the outer end portion ofeach section having a pair of depending spring closed clamping jawsadapted to engage within the leg terminals of a pair of trouser toclampingly support the same in an inverted hanging position, and meansfor suspending the hanger bar from a support consisting of a resilientelement having normally expanded terminal portions secured respectivelyto the outer end portions of said hanger bar sections for moving theclips away from each other to stretch the leg terminals of the trousersand for tensioning the clips against movement towards each other.

2. In a garment hanger, a hanger bar composed of a pair of rigid linearsections connected together for guided relative longitudinal movementwith reference to each other, a clip secured to the outer end portion ofeach section having a pair of depending spring closed clamping jawsadapted to engage within the leg terminals of a pair of trousers toclampingly support the same in an inverted hanging position, and anupwardly bowed resilient coat supporting member having inwardly directedopposite extremities secured respectively to the outer terminals of thehanger bar sections for tensioning the same against in- Ward movementand for normally moving the same together with the clips away from eachother for stretching the leg terminals of the trousers when supported bythe clips.

3. In a garment hanger, a, longitudinally extensible and contractiblehanger bar composed of a pair of rigid strap sections having the innerend portions thereof arranged in flat contact, a slotted laterallyoifset terminal at the inner end Of each strap section through which theother strap section extends, a clip secured to the outer end portion ofeach strap section having a pair of depending spring closed clampingjaws adapted to engage within the leg terminals of a pair of trousers toclampingly support the same in an inverted hanging position, andresilient expansible supporting means for suspending the hanger bar andsecured respectively to the outer end portions of the strap sections toeffect extension of the hanger bar and to tension the same againstcontraction so as to normally move the clips away from each other forstretching the leg terminals of the trousers.

4. In a garment hanger, a longitudinally extensible and contractiblehanger bar composed of a pair of rigid strap sections having the inner:end portion thereof arranged in flat contact, a slotted laterally offsetterminal at the inner end of each strap section through which the otherstrap section extends, a clip secured to the outer; end portion of eachstrap section having a pair of depending spring closed clamping jawsadapted; to engage within the leg terminals of a pair of trousers toclampingly support the same in an inverted hanging po ition, an upwardlybowed resilient coat supporting member having inwardly and upwardlydirected opposite extremities secured respectively to the outer endterminals of. the strap sections for efiecting the extension of, thehanger bar to normally move the clips away, from each other and tostretch the leg terminals of the trousers.

5. In a trousers hanger, a hanger bar including a pair of rigid strapsections each having a notch in the upper edge thereof formed with anundercut recess in one of its end walls, a clip carried by the outer endof each section composed of a pair of clamping jaws, and a cylindricalresilient tube split along the underside thereofto straddle the jaws andhaving transversely spaced slots on the upper side for respectivelyreceiving the upper ends of the jaws so as to normally close the jawsand tension the same against relative separation, the upper portion ofthe tube being fitted within the strap section notch and having notchedopposite ends engaging over the end walls of the strap section notchwith one end of the tube fitted within the recessed end wall of thestrap section notch and with a portion of the opposite end wall of thestrap section notch peened over the remaining notched end of the tube tosecure the clip to the strap section for movement therewith.

6. In a hanger, a hanger bar composed of rigid linear sections connectedtogether for guided relative longitudinal movement with reference toeach other, a clip secured to the outer end portion of each sectionhaving a pair of depending spring closed clamping jaw adapted to engagewithin the leg terminals of a pair of trousers to clampingly support thesame in an inverted hang- 10 ing position, and means for suspending thehanger bar from a support consisting of a resillent element havingnormally expanded terminal portions secured to the outer end portions ofthe hanger bar sections and having an intermediate coiled portion, thecentral convolution of which is provided with an upwardly offset portionand a suspension element secured to said upwardly offset portion.

JOHN J. CAVANAGH.

